Lubricated cock and valve.



LA S. BACHE. DECD.

M. S. BACHE. EXECUTRIX.

LUBRICATED COCK AND VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2 1916.

1,26 1,469. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

llllllllm sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

vSAID LEIGH s. BACHE, nEcEAsEn, AssIeNoR rro BOUND BRooK OIL- nnss- BEARING COMPANY, E EoUNnBRooK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

LUBRICATED COCK AND VALVE Specication of Letters Patent.

' plvoyed in gas fixtures and connections.

Heretofore, much diiiculty has been experienced with cocks or valves of this type owing to the tendency of the plug to stick in the casing andv thus render rotation of the plug by hand very difficult. Efforts have been made to overcome this difficulty by applying a viscous substance, such as tallow, to the working face of the plug, but such efforts have proven unsatisfactory for the reasons that the tallow or other viscous substance has fthe property of becoming hard when oldor cold and that no provision Was made for a proper distribution of the tallow or viscous substance upon the relatively movable or rotatable working ,facesf The primary object of the present invenp tion is to provide a vcock or valve of this type with lubricating means whereby proper distributionvof the lubricant onfthe work ing faces is effectively maintained and the lubricant employed issolid, or substantially so, and is of a character capable of .main taining eilicient lubricating properties, irrespective of its temperature or age, the lubricant, according to the present invention, be-v lng contained or retained in suitable pockets in one of the working faces of the cock 1n such manner that it 4constitutes in effect a part or continuation of such working face and its proper distribution between the working faces is thereby insured andy maintained.l

To these and other ends, the invention i consists 1n certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all .as

will be hereinafter more fully described,- the novel features being pointed out particuvention.

larly cation.

In the accompanying drawing :-l

Figure 1 represents a section through a cock of the type employing a tapered rotatabley plug, the cock being constructed in accordancev with 'one embodiment of the in- Fig. 2 represents a section through the casing for a cock, the casingin this instance having its working face provided with a lubricant, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of plugs for cocks of the type shown in Figs. land 2, the plugs in Figs. 3 and 4 being shown provided with lubricant.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

The present invention is applicable generally to cocks or valves of the type employing .a casing and a rotatable plug, it being especially applicable to cocks of this type Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

in the claims at the end of the specif'lwherein the plug istapered, the plugs of the latter typefhaving a pronounced tendency to stick in their casings, owing to their taper form. The invention has particular advantages as applied to cocks or valves em- .ployed in gas fixtures or connections, as the gas has a tendency .to keep the working faces of the valve or cock dry, and these faces when in such condition are particularlyliable to stick andthus render diiicult rotation of the plug. The lubricant, ac-

cording to the present invention, may be ap plied in different ways, either to the working face of the plug, the working face of the casing, or, if desired, to the working faces both of the plug and the casing. Cer- Itain embodiments,y of the invention are f' shown in the accompanying drawin and will be hereinafter described in detall, but

it is to be understood thaty the invention is not restricted to these embodiments of the.

invention, other or equivalent constructions being contemplated and these will be 1ncluded within the scope of the clalms.

In the present instance, 1 designates the casing of a Cock or valve having connections 2 and 3 for the pipes which convey the gas or fluid to and from the cock. T e casing has a valve seat 4 which, as shown, is conical. The plug 5 is adapted to rotatably'fit in the casing, it having a conical form corresponding to and fitting the conical seat A4 in the casing. The plug may have an angular portion 6 or a handle or any other equivalent means for rotating it and it may have any suitable means to vretain it in proper fitting relation with the casing, the smaller end of the plug in the present instance being provided for this purpose with a threaded portion 7 to receive a nut 8, and this nut may ear on a washer 9 which surrounds the lower end of the plug and bears on the adjacent portion of the casing. As usual with cocks or valves of this type, tightening of the nut 8 draws the conical or tapered plug into close fitting relation with the conical seat in the casing, and such close fitting relation between the plug and casing is maintained by the nut. As usual in cocks or valves of this type, the plug has a diametrical or other port 10 therein which establishes or interrupts communication between the inlet and outlet of the cock, according to the position of rotation of the plug in the casing.v f

rlhe means provided in the construction shown in Fig. l for maintaining efficient lubrication of the workingfaces of the plug and casing consists of a helical groove 11 which has a pitch toward one end of the plug and a helical groove. 12 which has a pitch in a reverse direction or toward the opposite end of the plug, in consequence of which the grooves intersect at intervals along the length 'of the plug. A lubricant 13 which is in solid form lls these grooves to a depth that will bring the lubricant lflush with the working face of the plug, the lubricant thus forming in eEect a part or a continuation of the working face lof the plug. Thel grooves and the lubricantpreferably extend throughout the area ofthe working face of the. plug whichcomes in contact with the casing, and the grooves and the lubricant preferably extend -continuously in a direction circumferentially of theplug, except at the points where the port 10 in the plug meets the circumference of the plug, at which points it is preferable to interrupt the grooves and alsorthe lubricant to provide uninterrupted or continuous metal margins 14 and 15 which surround the ends of the port 10. The advantage of this construction is that proper gasftight ts of those portions j of the plug surrounding the ends of the port 10 will be maintained with the working'face of the casing without depending upon the lubricant to maintain such fit. Thev lubricant employed is of a solid form and of a character capable of maintaining such form and eflicient "lubricating properties, irrespective' of the age of the lubricant or temperature conditions. Graphite in dense form is prefmenace erably used, the graphite "being compressed under heavy pressure into thel grooves.

in the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 2., the casing has its working face 4 `formed; with a helical or spiral groove 16,

and a lubricant 17 in solid form, suchv as graphite, fills the groove to a depth where f the lubricant will be flush with and thus form a part or a continuationof the workleakage of fluid or` gas without depending on the lubricant to maintain such Joints. rlhe plug to be used in cases such, for example, as that shown in Fig. 2, where the working face of the casing is provided with the lubricant, may be either plain or it may have a lubricant contained in pockets formed in its-working face.

Figs. 3 and 4 show examples of plugs adapted tol be used eitherwith a casing the working face of which is ,plain or unlubricated as, for example, shown in Fig. 1, or in cases where the working face of the casing is lubricated, as shown, for example, in Fig 2. ln Fig. 3, the working face ofthe lug is formed with a helical groove 22, an the lubricant in solid form such, for example, as graphite, fills this groove to a depth where the lubricant will be flush with the workingv face of the plug and hence will form a part or a continuation of this working face. The groove and the lubricant in this-instance are shown as interrupted adjacent to the mar-l gins of the plug where the ends ofthe port ,10 therein meet the circumference of the plug, thereby providing continuous or un- `interrupted metal margins 24 and 25 surlll around the plug. `Smaller pockets 27 are a formed at intervalsin the spaces between the grooves 26 in the working face ofthe plug. Bodies of lubricant 28 and 29 (the lubricant being in solid form) fill the grooves 26 and the pockets 27 respectively to a depth that will bring the lubricant Hush with the working face of the plug, and the lubricant will form a part or'acontinuation of the working face of the plug. In this embodiment of the invention, the grooves or pockets do not extend around the plug sufciently toA permit anyleakage of gas or saar AVAILABLE COPY Huid past the plug, or in other vvo'rds, the metal Working face of the plug provides substantially continuous or uninterrupted margins which surround the ends of the port 10 in the plug.

In any case, the lubricant is of a character which will maintain efficient lubricating properties, irrespective of the temperature conditions or the age of the lubricant, and by providing the Working face ofthe plug or the Working face of the casing, or the Working faces of both the plug and the casing With lubricant-containing grooves or pockets, elicient distribution of the lubricant relatively to these Working faces is provided and maintained.

I claim as my invention 1. In a cock comprising a casing and a tapered plug rotatably fitted therein, the casing and plug having contacting Working faces,.means for lubricating the tapered contacting Working faces of such parts embodying bodies of solid lubricant contained in a plurality of helical grooves in one of' said Working faces. 2. Means for preventing seizing of the Working faces of a cock having a casing and a'tapered plug rotatable therein, the casing and plug having contacting fluid-tight Working faces, said means comprising a lubricant in solid form set into and retained in one of said tapered Working faces in parallel helical grooves.

3. Lubricating means for the Working faces of cocks of the type employing a casing' and a plug rotatable therein, the casing and plug having contacting fluid-tight Working aces, such means comprising bodies of solid graphite lilling parallel helical grooves in one of said Working faces, the graphite being flush with and constituting a continuation of the Working face containing it.

4. The combination with a cock comprising a casing having a tapered ported seat formed directly therein, and a tapered ported plug rotatably fitting said tapered seat, said seat and plug having contacting Working faces, of means for lubricating and preventing seizing of such contacting Working faces of the plug and casing embodying a lubricant in solid form contained in and retained by helical pockets formed in one of said faces, the lubricant filling the pockets to a depth flush With the Working face containing it, and the lubricant containing pockets being interrupted adjacent to the ports of the respective Working face.

5. Lubricating means for the Working faces of cocks embodying a ported casing and a ported plug rotatable therein, the casing and plug having contacting Working faces, such means comprising a lubricant in solid form contained in helical grooves formed in one of said Working faces to a depth flush with such Working face, the lubricant-containing grooves being interrupted to provide a continuous margin in said face around the respective port.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

. LEIGH s. BAoHE. Witnesses:

A. K. SMITH, WM. F. JENNINGs. 

